Evan F. Moore: Police unions double down on discrimination

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Sep 14, 2017 at 4:51 PMSep 14, 2017 at 4:51 PM

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America’s police unions have had their hands full lately — the literal (and character) assassination of a 12-year-old (Tamir Rice), pointing a gun at a football player who is outspoken on social justice issues (Michael Bennet), and getting involved in public education.

In the past week, police unions in Cleveland, Chicago and Las Vegas have doubled down on incidents involving their officers’ mistreatment of black people. Here’s a recap:

The Cleveland Police Union announced Sept. 3 that its members wouldn’t hold the flag at the Cleveland Browns’ home opener after several of the players kneeled during the national anthem before a preseason game. (However, police, players and first responders stood together on the field before the game Sept. 10.)

The Fraternal Order of Police Lodge No. 7 in Chicago wrote a letter to the Chicago Public Schools slamming a curriculum that teaches the history of police brutality by Chicago police officers.

The Las Vegas police union called for an investigation into an incident where Seattle Seahawks defensive end Michael Bennett was handcuffed and detained by the police Aug. 26. The police union believes that Bennett has made false accusations against their officers.

Remember, the Cleveland Police Union is the same one that backed police officer Timothy Loehmann when he shot and killed Tamir Rice. They failed to mention that several police departments took a pass on hiring Loehmann before Cleveland hired him.

And since the Chicago FOP wants to talk their version of history, maybe Chicago Public Schools students will be reminded of the FOP hiring disgraced police officer Jason Van Dyke as a janitor at the police union lodge. Van Dyke, who shot Laquan McDonald 16 times in 2014, was charged with murder and is currently going through the legal process.

“Due to the notoriety of the incident, the ongoing threats of harm and intimidation and other issues caused him to become completely unemployable,” then-FOP president Dean Angelo said in March 2016. “Furthermore, after several threats against the safety of his spouse and her clients his wife was forced to shut down her family-run business, resulting in zero household income.”

In Bennett’s case, the Las Vegas union released a statement almost two weeks after the fact, and after Bennett called them out.

I don’t blame the unions for doubling down on their rhetoric. After all, they wouldn’t be much use to the rank and file if they didn’t back them no matter what.

But the police unions also have the support to tailor this message however they like. President Trump continues to paint the press or anyone who speaks against police brutality as an enemy of the state. The president, and the police unions, seem to mistake any talk of police brutality as an attack on all cops.

“Police are emboldened to create their own narrative because they know they’ll be backed by an echo chamber of bots and sports radio bigots,” Dave Zirin, sports editor of The Nation, tweeted Sept. 8. “And they are confident in the age of Trump that they can do or say or slander — or kill — anyone without consequence.”

The police aren’t above criticism any more than anyone else, including journalists.

It seems like “backing the blue” has caveats that need to go through a spin cycle in order to be approved. Once again, the police unions, like most Americans, will continue to do mental gymnastics over a problem that has long been ignored.

— Evan F. Moore is a syndicated columnist with GateHouse Media. He writes about the intersection of race, violence and culture. His work has been featured in Rolling Stone, Chicago Tribune and Ebony. Follow him on Twitter @evanfmoore.